Media Influence
It’s very easy for us to make bad choices with what we eat. In almost all avenues of modern society, marketing plays a role in influencing our attention; this is also true for food. How often do you see ads for fast food combos on the internet that are affordable? How often do you see a fast food joint while driving? The marketing teams for these companies are geniuses at drawing your attention toward something that’s quick and easy, because they know people are busy. If you don’t have the time to make something for yourself, then you can just buy a cheeseburger combo while you’re out. Easy solution. In grocery stores you can often see pre-made, pre-packaged meals for sale for the same reason: convenience. Look at platforms like Doordash and Ubereats: they profit off of convenience and laziness. On top of this, taste also plays a major role in influencing your decision to buy. Things like sugar and chemicals you probably don’t want to know about create a taste that’s so good it’s addictive – or at the very least, so good that you’ll at least consider it the next time you didn’t make food and you’re hungry. Then if you factor in affordable pricing, they have you by the balls. These companies, this entire industry as a whole (comprising of fast food chains and convenience food brands), couldn’t care less about what’s good for you; as long as they can profit, they can sleep at night.
The Link Between Mental Health Problems and Processed Foods
We are living in an era in which mental health is steadily becoming worse, even with these supposed life-saving medications. Though there are many reasons for this, with technology indisputably being one of them, many people don’t realize that poor nutrition is often secretly at play. Your central nervous system, which controls things like breathing, movements and emotions, is in need of key nutrients to maintain proper functioning. So if a bodily system that is responsible for your emotional regulation isn’t receiving what it needs, it’s no wonder why those who eat poorly are more prone to poor mental health. A study done at Appalachian University in the US – which primarily focused on fruit and vegetable intake – found that males with depression had a low fruit and vegetable intake, and females with depression had a high sugar intake. This clearly isn’t a coincidence.
Delivery Platforms
There was never a time in recorded history that showed more accessibility to pleasure and fundamental needs on a mass scale than now. As most of you guys know or can probably figure out, technology is to blame. Assuming you don’t have much time, would you rather leave your house, drive to the store, buy groceries and cook a meal or order a meal of your choosing on Doordash? If you thought the first option, you’re either lying to yourself or you’ve truly understood the downfall that a poor diet will bring upon your life. However, most would rather go with the latter because it’s as convenient as pressing a couple buttons. In the process of relying on external forces to meet your basic needs, not only are you accustoming yourself to the easy route of not having to make your own food – encouraging laziness – but you’re also allowing for processed foods to make up the essence of your diet. It’s true that not absolutely everything you order will be considered “processed”, but by-in large if it’s available as pre-made food, it will be artificially tweaked in some way.
Processed Foods Lower Intelligence
If the argument can be made that eating processed foods have adverse effects on mental health because you’re not receiving the proper nutrients for it to thrive, the same can be said about your brain’s cognitive processing. Your brain needs fuel for it to function, and since that fuel is food, what you eat makes all the difference. This is most evident in the early stages of childhood during your brain’s development. A study done from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health stated that kids who ate a processed diet (filled with fats, sugar and convenience foods) at age 3 had a lower IQ at 8.5 years old than kids whose diet was healthy. The healthy diet that the other kids ate was comprised of fruits, vegetables, salads, fish, rice and pasta. This is hard evidence that what you eat matters. Proper nutrients from whole foods impact your brain’s processing abilities, memory and focus levels. If you neglect the good fuel and replace it with the bad, you’re essentially putting out your own fire.
Human Biology
Human beings are animals at the core. We’ve survived for thousands of years by hunting and killing for food, a very primitive but natural method. We then made the transition (12,000 years ago) into agriculture; and the fruits, vegetables, animals and animal by-products that were harvested are considered foods of the earth. Again, natural. It was only until the 1950s that pre-made, processed meals were made available to people, as a result of capitalism. This was the beginning of the unnatural diets that have shaped the lives of Western societies for the worse. And look at the impact it has had on the world. Let’s take McDonald’s for example; the most successful fast food franchise that we know today has spread to countries across the globe, introducing these chemical-based foods to international markets. We were not designed to eat like this; it goes completely against the grain of our biological make up. It’s very clear that the advent of such diets has created a catastrophe for the human mind and body.
Making a Change Through Discipline
The temptation to stray into a poor diet is extremely easy today. As mentioned, there are a number of factors that play a role in influencing your decisions. But if you’re now aware of these factors, and aware that your mental health is on the decline as a result of a poor diet, it’s time to cultivate discipline. If you can control what you eat and drink every day, it will be easier to control other things in your life. Doing so will set you apart from most other people in society as the majority fall victim to the consumerist mentality. Once you start here, you’ll begin to feel more empowered and self-respecting. This will eventually gravitate toward a second-nature mentality over the long run, wherein you don’t even think about processed food anymore.
In my case, I can’t help but think about the mental and physical consequences of eating a processed diet. This is ultimately why I don’t do it. But it’s not like I was always this way. I used to give in to the temptations of eating things like chips and sugary cereals all the time when I was in my teens. I was never overweight, but I struggled with serious bouts of depression for a long time; and never once considered the foods I was eating to be a contributor to this problem.
If you’re reading this, you’re wise enough to begin considering a change in your diet if you’re not already eating right. Maybe you’re in a situation as a young man where you’re still eating your three meals a day at home – and what you’re being served is entirely junk. Consider having a word with your parents about this, and if you don’t end up seeing eye to eye, make the necessary diet changes on your own when you’re in the position to do so. Maybe you’re older, but you’re so used to eating unhealthy meals – as a result of your upbringing – that this is all you know. Try to push beyond the familiar; start buying whole foods and limiting the processed ones, because after all, it is the health of you and you only that is at stake. Once this switch is made, I’ll bet my right arm that energy levels, clarity of mind, and mental health levels will all increase.